River floodwall built up at old temple

Workers carry sandbags to raise the height of the river embankment at ancient Wat Chaiwatthanaram, beside the Chao Phraya River in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya of Ayutthaya province, on Tuesday. (Photo: Public Relations Department)

AYUTTHAYA: The flood embankment at 391-year-old Wat Chaiwatthanaram has been raised as the level of the adjacent Chao Phraya River also keeps rising.

Sukanya Baonerd, director of the 3rd Regional Office of the Fine Arts Department, Ayutthaya, said on Tuesday that the 150-metre-long floodwall along the river, protecting the temple in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district, had been built up by 50 centimetres from 2 metres to 2.50m.

As a result, the top of the embankment was now 1.10m above the water in the Chao Phraya.

The Fine Arts Department had also placed sandbags to strengthen the southern wall of the temple.

This wall had collapsed during the severe flooding in 2011.  Afterwards, the department built a new 20-centimetre-thick southern wall for the temple.